This short theological tract, Fi Nafi al-Jiha, or On Denying Direction to God, by the Ashari theologian and celebrated Shafi’i jurist, Qadi Ibn Jahbal (d. 733/1333), is a clinical rebuttal of the controversial fatwa, the Aqida Hamawiyya, penned by his legendary contemporary, Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328). It is considered, rightly, a classic manifesto of anti-literalism, which will be an indispensable reference for advanced students of Islamic theology, other professional theologians, and modern academics needing primary source materials in English or a source book on the controversies surrounding Ibn Taymiyya’s theology.

The learned Dr. Gibril Fouad Haddad merits the rewards of the one who corrects the errors which crept into some minds in the Ummah, reminding them once again of the saving, mainstream discourse of the Ummah in the understanding of the most fundamental matters of the faith, guaranteed by Allah to exist until the end of time. May Allah reward him most abundantly for his enterprise.

His translation of Ibn Jahbal al-Kilabi’s al-Raddu ‘ala Man Qala bil-Jiha is elegant and accurate, marked by a strong sense of spiritual propriety toward the scholarly personages of the Ummah. The copious notes are illuminating. It will be one of the most important books on this subject for many decades to come, Allah willing. The publisher is to be congratulated for bringing out a work of such sterling scholarly merits.